PS4 / Xbox One console war

[MOSQUITO FIGHTER]

I'm going to really enjoy not buying anything next gen for a loooooong time.

What'cha gonna do if Cave starts putting their new games on it?

[Drachenherz]

I'm going to really enjoy not buying anything next gen for a loooooong time.

What'cha gonna do if Cave starts putting their new games on it?

Assuming that CAVE is still in business then... :p

[Ji-L87]

A new hardware overview document has just been leaked:
- Only digital audio out

Huh. It's probably weird that I reacted to this the most but...is this, by chance, MS's way of escaping the so called "analog hole"? At first I was like "Oh, they want to force people routing sound through amplfiers/HT systems now - no more shitty TV speakers allowed"

[Skykid]

I'm going to really enjoy not buying anything next gen for a loooooong time.

What'cha gonna do if Cave starts putting their new games on it?

No rush.

[Friendly]

All games must be installed on HDD [you can start playing few secs after installation starts], game data streaming from optical disc not supported

Am I the only one who doesn't like this?

[Ji-L87]

All games must be installed on HDD [you can start playing few secs after installation starts], game data streaming from optical disc not supported

Am I the only one who doesn't like this?

I pretty much do this anyway since my Xbox sounds like it's approaching warp speed when reading from the disc. Then I ran out of space.

Yeah, I can see how that will be a problem

[Friendly]

Anyway, the worst aspect is clearly Kinect 2.0. Presumably it will spy on you all the time and send the collected data to Microsoft. It will be able to perfectly monitor you, see which parts of which games you enjoy (facial recognition should not be a problem), see how and when you and your family consume which entertainment and create profiles. And you won't have any right to privacy. "What, you don't wish to accept the EULA that states that data is collected and sent to Microsoft? Then the system won't run."

[Specineff]

A new hardware overview document has just been leaked:
- Only digital audio out

Huh. It's probably weird that I reacted to this the most but...is this, by chance, MS's way of escaping the so called "analog hole"? At first I was like "Oh, they want to force people routing sound through amplfiers/HT systems now - no more shitty TV speakers allowed"

HD Fury 3 to the rescue. Heck, even a portable MiniDisc recorder can be used as a D-A converter.

[Cuilan]

Anyway, the worst aspect is clearly Kinect 2.0. Presumably it will spy on you all the time and send the collected data to Microsoft. It will be able to perfectly monitor you, see which parts of which games you enjoy (facial recognition should not be a problem), see how and when you and your family consume which entertainment and create profiles. And you won't have any right to privacy. "What, you don't wish to accept the EULA that states that data is collected and sent to Microsoft? Then the system won't run."

Kinect 1.0 can already do this on the 360. There's an option in the settings that can disable it.

Also, the latest dashboard already makes game/content recommendations based on games/movies you've played/bought/watched.

[DJ Incompetent]

Anyway, the worst aspect is clearly Kinect 2.0. Presumably it will spy on you all the time and send the collected data to Microsoft. It will be able to perfectly monitor you, see which parts of which games you enjoy (facial recognition should not be a problem), see how and when you and your family consume which entertainment and create profiles. And you won't have any right to privacy. "What, you don't wish to accept the EULA that states that data is collected and sent to Microsoft? Then the system won't run."

Place plastic green army man in front of sensor.
PERFECT SYSTEM GUARDIAN'S HEART DEFEATED

[ancestral-knowledge]

and i thought the ps4 announcement was bad...

let's just skip these fucking shit-consoles altogether.

[Casey120]

But does it have 8 GB of Gddr5 ram ?

[Pallerå]

When you see that list and think it couldnt get worse, remember it doesnt say anything about region codes. YEAH IT CAN GET WORSE.

[Jeneki]

Place plastic green army man in front of sensor.

Dude, I'm going to dedicate an entire room for this. With cardboard cutouts of people, moving back and forth on model railroad cars.

Microsoft: "OMG, people at the Jeneki household never sleep!"

And then my dashboard ads will be nothing but sleep aids.

[Friendly]

Anyway, I think this EULA bullshit is getting out of hand. Either you accept it in full or you don't get to use the system/software in question at all. How is it ok to strip you of your rights that way?
The right to privacy is a basic human right; any system should be required by law to offer an option not to collect/transmit ANY personal data.

[t0yrobo]

I dunno, nothing in that design doc seems very unusual to me. Take of your tinfoil hats folks.

- Always on, always connected
- Low powered mode
ie. WiiConnect24, but not shit. It never says you have to be online to play games.

- Kinect sold with every console, wider FOV, no motors, better tracking
- Kinect is required to be plugged in
Seriously not a big deal, I'd bet usb dongles to trick the system come out before long. Personally I quite like kinect for the dashboard and watching movies, although the netflix interface has always been god awful. Being a pack in requirement means maybe some worthwhile games for it will come out this time around.

- Low latency controller with "improved ergonomics", simplified interaction with console OS
Surprising they even bother to mention latency, but good to hear.

- Bluray drive
Duh

- All games must be installed on HDD [you can start playing few secs after installation starts], game data streaming from optical disc not supported
Sounds annoying, but it's not very clear how this actually works. It's probably pretty seamless as long as the hd is big enough.

- Only digital audio out
Sounds like a cost cutting measure more than anything, but it also won't make a bit of difference to most people.

[Friendly]

You probably didn't believe we'd get online passes, games with always-online DRM, micro transactions & DLC this generation, either.

[BareKnuckleRoo]

- Low latency controller with "improved ergonomics", simplified interaction with console OS
Surprising they even bother to mention latency, but good to hear.

The reason they mention latency is because they're talking about wireless controllers. It'd be a tad irritating if the system launches with wireless-only as controller options, not that most people would care/notice.

[gameoverDude]

Kinect REQUIRED? Xfail 720. And discs being for installation only, with a persistent connection DRM? Ridiculous.
PS4 is looking more like the clear winner. Shuhei Yoshida said that PS4 WON'T block used games and even adds that you can play offline totally.

I'd like to see EULAs get utterly castrated by some new law. When you pay good money for a console, it's YOUR machine. You should own it, not be "renting" it.

[t0yrobo]

You probably didn't believe we'd get online passes, games with always-online DRM, micro transactions & DLC this generation, either.

The only thing that surprised me in any way was always online drm being in a few consoles games, because that's just a really bad business decision. Everything else, nah, mainstream gamers have made it pretty clear that they're more than happy to be extorted. Companies have just been feeling out how far they can go, and have found that they can pretty much do whatever they want. The sad reality is most people will bitch up a storm about something or another, sign online petitions, etc. then buy the game on release day anyway. And all the game companies know that's the case because it's been proven to them repeatedly.

[Ex-Cyber]

Sony apparently fed a bunch of random info to the press (oh, and developers, obviously) at GDC.

http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/03/28/ ... didnt-know

[Friendly]

New report says that Xbox 3 will require an internet connection to start any game:
http://kotaku.com/the-next-xbox-will-re ... -470062456

Hard to believe.

[trap15]

That would be a horrible business move, and while I'd like to think Microsoft aren't absolutely retarded, I feel like there's a 50/50 chance of it being true.

[lilmanjs]

That would be a horrible business move, and while I'd like to think Microsoft aren't absolutely retarded, I feel like there's a 50/50 chance of it being true.

If that is being reported, then you know it will be 100% true. Microsoft are always the ones to do the bad business moves and still make tons of money off of it.

[null1024]

mmkay, Sony wins, gg MS

Seriously, I have a hard time actually believing that. There's enough bad precedent in gamers minds [Diablo 3, SimCity] to make me question whether they'd do it, especially when their competitors aren't.

[Ruldra]

"If there isn't a connection, no games or apps can be started," the source continued. "If the connection is interrupted then after a period of time--currently three minutes, if I remember correctly--the game/app is suspended and the network troubleshooter started."

SimCity: The console.

Looking forward to the massive shitstorm when (if) Microsoft officially confirms this.

[Ganelon]

I can believe it. I mentioned last time how Microsoft could be making a fatal mistake but have had second thoughts after looking at EA's recent tenacious devotion to SimCity's online requirement,

I think Microsoft can actually make this requirement work is if it has assurances from publishers. Publishers like EA have a vested interest in preventing piracy and could provide exclusive games or content on systems with these online requirements. Many fans would go out and decide to purchase the next Xbox if it has a solid initial library and the PS4 doesn't.

As long as you assume gamers care more about content than logistics (a fair bet considering the 360 sold so well despite its infamous build quality), then MS can convert that consumer convenience disadvantage into a provider competitive advantage. For example, if EA—a company that's been vocal in anti-piracy—decides to give Xbox a 1-month head start in releasing Madden NFl, then that could be enough to steer significant sales away from the PS4.

If MS has no assurances, then obviously, moving first into an unpopular position makes no business sense. But if these rumors are true, then I think there's good reason somewhere.

[Ruldra]

Microsoft Studios' creative director has some choice words about always-online

[null1024]

gunfoot.jpg


"Why would I want to live in those places?"

[Ed Oscuro]

Microsoft Studios' creative director has some choice words about always-online

What? I can't hear you over the sound of my always-on vacuum cleaner.

I didn't know if Microsoft was that stupid, but, well, just look at Windows 8.

I think it's high time for a shaking-out in the high tech business.